Friday, January 20, 2012

The unexpected visit of Hillary Clinton to Togo known as one of the long dominated dictatorship country in West Africa appears to be a surprise and raises questions. Togo became a U.N Security Council member few weeks ago and may probably have to play a major role in the vote alongside the countries that hold permanent seats within the Council. The United States is pressing for more sanctions against Iran and Syria. America needs partners to oppose UN’s recognition of a Palestinian state as requested by Abass in September 2011. In the debates about these sensitive (hot) issues, what can really be this small country of Togo’s role confronted itself to problems of democracy and development in the West African region?Anyway we, the living human beings on the earth aspirate to a more secure world. The world wants less war and peaceful countries where people can enjoy their lives. The worldwide wishes are to have the authorities giving more determination to solve the financial crisis and make the economy grow at all levels. Development and security are linked. But world’s security is a shared responsibility, for the all nations are interconnected. All the country members at the United Nations are concerned by the world peace. The former Secretary General Kofi Annan acknowledged in the 2004 UN Report that “what is needed is a comprehensive system of collective security: one that tackles both new and old threats, and addresses the security concerns of all States - rich and poor, weak and strong”. Togo and the United States can cooperate to address issues threat the world security.In fact, the Security Council of the United Nations is confronted to some very sensitive cases to resolve. Iran, who has been a non-nuclear weapon state party to the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) since 1970, is creating a threat to the world nation with its intention to acquire nuclear weapons. The IAEA noticed that Iran has a strong nuclear infrastructure with uranium mining, milling, conversion, and enrichment capabilities. The tensions between Iran and the United States continue to escalate with the demonstrations in these days in the Straits of Hormuz. The US is putting more pressure and the Iran reacts by threatening. The world peace is progressively menaced. Therefore, all the country members have roles to play.However, since the center of decision is held by the Security Council, Togo’s position from February when taking the Presidency of the Council will make it the star to cherish in the decision making within that institution. But what is Togo’s really weight in the decisions to make by the Security Council while we all know that certain nations such as the United States, France, England, Germany, Russia and China constitute the circle of influence in the decision making process at UN?Usually the presence of the small and underdeveloped countries in the UN Security Council appears as formalities to accompany the bigger powers permanently represented in within the Council in their decisions. These countries including Togo present lots of handicaps notably the lack of democracy, non respect to human rights; their populations languish in the deep poverty. Does Togo have a power to influence decisions within the UN Security Council?